Vienna
by mouserat
Summary: It's so romantic on the borderline. Smitchie, Naitlyn, Jason/OC


**A/N: **Writing in first person isn't exactly my strong suit, so bear with me. I wanted to try writing a multi chapter fic in first person to challenge myself, and I've always thought about writing a multi chapter of Camp Rock, so here it is. This story is also rated M as I'm practicing writing more mature content, which will appear in later chapters. I'm going to try to update regularly, which will be easier for me since I'm now on vacation until September. My goal is to make about each chapter around 6k words, and I'm planning for this story to be a long one. This fic is basically me toying around with first person and testing/improving my skills, so reviews/constructive criticism are always greatly appreciated! Enjoy.

* * *

There's nothing magical about February in New York.

I'm being honest. You always here people fawn and sigh over how magical and breathtaking New York is, but when the cold air keeps painfully nipping my cheeks, causing unflattering pink splotches to stain my face, I'm not a huge fan. Don't get me wrong, the city is absolutely beautiful during all times of the year, opportunity whispering in year ears when the wind blows, gently ruffling your hair and reminding you you're in one of the most impossibly mysterious cities in the world, but it's hard to concentrate on the scenery when you have to constantly focus on not slipping on the ice that coats the stained sidewalks so you can avoid a disaster consisting of twelve angry pedestrians, a scraped knee, a coffee soaked sweater, and a Swedish man threatening to beat you with his cane. Not that that happened to me, or anything. I'm just providing an example.

I'm enchanted by the ideaof winter. The small unique snowflakes that contain stories and fables in different patterns that litter the ground, creating mountains to climb and blank canvases with endless possibilities decorating the city, twinkling lights draped across every crevice, and warm pastries enticing wanderers through the decorated glass windows is heaven to me. Everything about winter excites me, except the most defining characteristic of the season – the cold.

Now, I've lived in the east coast my whole life, so I should be used to the cold, right? Wrong. When it's below 40 degrees, I do not go outside, and when I do I'm so bundled up that I can only waddle like an overweight Empire penguin. Off topic, Empire penguins are pretty amazing, right? They're probably the best animals to ever exist.

Sorry. But anyway, the only reason I'm venturing outside in the maze made up of skyscrapers and hurried New Yorkers today is because I have to go to work, and my mom would kill me if I were late again.

My mom owns a restaurant downtown called Julieta's Restaurant. My dad loves _Seinfeld, _and the restaurant they always went to is called Tom's Restaurant, so basically we just replaced the name Tom with my abuela's name, so there you go. The name sounds pretty plain, but there's some creativity behind it. Kind of. Not really.

Anyway, it's a small restaurant, so only me, my mom, and my two best friends, Karlie and Caitlyn, work there, and my dad will help out when he's not busy working at the hardware store that he owns. Sometimes it gets pretty hectic at both places with such small staff, but somehow we manage. I actually quite enjoy being with five of them. They're the most important people in the world to me and being able to spend every day with them is the biggest blessing I could ever imagine. Believe me, being a waitress in my mother's restaurant was not the ideal career I had in mind once I graduated college. I wanted to be a musician and travel this exciting and spontaneous globe, but surprise, surprise, you don't immediately get your dream job once you graduate. I do enjoy working at Julieta's, though. I get to spend time with my family and my best friends, and it's amazing.

Music has always been there for me, however. Whenever dark clouds swirl around my mind or I feel the shivering cold inside my bones not caused by the New York City weather, I fill my veins with music and my toes feel warm and my heart feels to big for my body. I once read a quote, "some people believe in God, I believe in music. Some people pray, I turn up the radio." I don't think I've ever read anything more touching. Music affects me, it feels like calloused fingers dancing across my cold skin, and with each tap it feels like my veins are overflowing with melodies and piano chords and I feel like I'm going to combust. Without music, I don't know who I'd be. I know that's cliché and cheesy, but it's as true as the air that fills my lungs.

When I'm on break, I perform on the small stage in the restaurant for the customers, but mostly for myself. It's like a catharsis for me. I also perform at numerous small, underground venues around the city. It's somehow one of the most exhilarating and relaxing things and it ignites my whole body. I used to want to be a huge star, performing all over the world, but to be honest, I enjoy playing in cramped and dark places with lit candles that glow, and happy, chattering people more than I could have ever imagined, and I wouldn't leave it for the most amazing record deal ever, which most people can never understand, but I can't explain it. Whenever I play I feel like soaring. Plus it's pretty nice being able to live out my dream of playing music and not being attacked by paparazzi when I walk the streets.

I actually really enjoy it and I can honestly say I'm happy with my life, which is nice to say after all that's happened. I get to spend every single day with the people I care about most, I've made some amazing memories at the restaurant, laughing with the regulars and having contests with Karlie on who can make the best latte, and when I'm not waitressing I get to perform and feel more alive than I've ever been. My life is everything I could have ever asked for. I mean I live in one of the greatest cities in the United States. You know, when it's not trying to give me pneumonia. I don't want anything to change, except perhaps the weather.

I wrapped my arms my shivering body, teeth clattering obnoxiously, and my boots clicking hurriedly against the sidewalk in a rushed rhythm as I walk as fast as I can through the brisk air. There is no way I'm staying outside longer than I need to. I'm also super annoyed at Caitlyn, who woke me up by jumping on top of me and then continued to shove me out of our apartment before I could put on as many clothes as I would have liked. She was somewhere behind me, trying to catch up while dodging through impatient people rushing to get to work on time.

I pulled my black beanie over my ears, huffing as I wished cheek warmers existed. How amazing would that be? That invention would change lives, I swear to you.

I'm too lost in thought of my new genius idea that I really wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me, which is a huge mistake in crowded New York. I suddenly collided into a hard body, their coffee spilling all over me and seeping through my clothes. I almost fell backwards, tripping over my heels and trying to regain my balance before I humiliated myself and collapsed on the street.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, steadying myself, frustrated at myself for being so careless. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

I looked up at the man standing in front of me with a bewildered look on his face that quickly changed into an excited grin once he met my eyes. I remembered that smile. The warm aura about him, the kind twinkle in his eyes, his ability to make anyone beam with joy with his uplifting words in his charming accent –

"Brown!" I cried, an excited grin spreading across my face, hurting my cheeks. "Oh my god, it's so great to see you!"

He gave a hearty laugh as I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a tight hug. He pulled his arms around me and I swear he still smelled like musty cabin wood I fell in love with that memorable summer.

"Mitchie Torres," Brown pulled away, his smile unfaltering. "How are you, love? I haven't seen you in ages, not since you were –"

"Eighteen," I nodded, "Back in the old Camp Rock days." I smiled softly at the memory. "How is the camp doing, by the way? It's been so long." I shook my head in amazement, still shocked and bewildered at the fact that this man, this wonderful and kind man that had such a powerful impact on my life, was standing before me after so many years. It seemed like a dream. That's another thing I loved about New York – you never knew who you'd run into.

"Splendid, actually," Brown replied happily. "For a while we were nervous because another camp had opened nearby, but we still have amazing talented people, like yourself, coming every year, and we're as strong as ever. That reminds me, are you still doing music? You're so wonderful, I hope you haven't given up on it," he said earnestly.

I blushed and nodded, a warm smile spreading across my face. "I am, I still write and I play in different venues around the city with other local artists. I feel so fulfilled and I would never have had the courage to do it without you," I said earnestly.

"I always knew you'd succeed," he winked at me. "I always believed in you, right from the start. You always had the courage inside you, and to be honest, I'm not surprised in the slightest with how great you're doing."

I stared at him for a moment, stomach flipping at his words. He was just like I remembered him, caring and joyful. I shook my head. "I cannot believe you're here," I said, my mind still in cloaked wonderment.

Brown smiled and gazed at our surroundings. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm here reuniting with some old friends and family I haven't seen in a while, and just when I thought it couldn't be any better, I run into you!"

I smiled at him. "Well, not just me. A few of us from back then are here and –"

"Mitchie!" I heard a shout and was pushed forward, firm hands gripping my shoulders. "There you are, you're so annoying, I lost you for a while."  
I rolled my eyes. "Caitlyn, we were walking to the same place. We would have met up at the restaurant."

"Whatever," Caitlyn sighed, impatiently blowing her curls out of her glittering hazel eyes. "You know what Connie always says, 'never travel the city alone,'" she teased me, grinning the annoyed twist of my lips as I remembered my mother's obnoxious reminder, no matter how true it was.

"Well, well," Brown spoke up. "I see Caitlyn Gellar hasn't changed in the slightest."

Caitlyn's head snapped toward the familiar voice, arms falling to her sides and her eyes widening, completely shocked. She stood there for a few moments, frozen in spot.

A chuckle escaped Brown's lips and that shook Caitlyn out of her reverie. She screeched and jumped on him, gripping her arms tightly around his form and wrapping her legs around his.

Brown stumbled in surprised and gave a hearty laugh. They stayed like that for a while until Caitlyn jumped down, grasping his hands in her own, a large smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with amazement and joy. Brown was like family to her.

"What are you doing here? It's been forever!" She addressed him breathlessly.

"I'm here seeing family and friends and quickly falling in love with this city. What about you, dear? Do you live here now?" Brown asked.

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah, we both do! We live together with our friend Karlie."

"Yes," I chimed in. "We work at my mom's restaurant."

"Your mom has her own restaurant?" Brown grinned. "That's wonderful, she has a lot of talent. The food she cooked at camp was some of the best I've ever had."

"You know what, you should come by," I replied excitedly. Caitlyn nodded enthusiastically.

"I would absolutely love to. I won't be able to come by today, but tomorrow night would be absolutely wonderful," he said.

"Yes! Bring your family as well!" I said. "Everything will be on the house."

"Oh, no, I could never –"

Caitlyn stopped him with a look. "Brown, you don't have a choice. It's going to be on the house whether you like it or not. Besides, we want to." I nodded in agreement.

"Come after closing, that way we can all sit down together and we won't be running around the whole time serving customers."

Brown smiled. "The both of you are just as generous as I remembered." He checked his watch. "Oh, I'm going to be late. But I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"Of course, we can't wait," I responded. "It's called Julieta's Restaurant, you can just look up the address online."

"I will. Say hello to your mother for me!" Brown waved as he walked away. "Oh, and Mitchie, I'm terribly sorry for spilling coffee all over you."

I looked down at my dark blue coat, having completely forgotten about the fiasco due to the excitement. I laughed. "It's fine, I'm a klutz. We'll see you tomorrow!"

He grinned as we waved and was soon quickly lost in the sea of people roaming the streets.

Caitlyn and I looked at each other, amazed.

"I cannot believe that just happened," Caitlyn shook her head, and then gave me a teasing grin. "Imagine if I hadn't caught up with you."

I rolled my eyes playfully, smiling and hooking my arm through hers. "Okay, we'll never separate from now on," I joked.

Caitlyn gave me a creeped out look. "That's a bit much."

I laughed and dragged her along. "Come on, Mom's gonna murder me if we're not at the restaurant in two minutes."

"You always say that."

"It never stops being true," I insisted.

We arrived at the restaurant with only a few minutes to spare before our shift started. Karlie had to run errands and had left before us, so she was already scrubbing the tabletop behind the counter. She raised an eyebrow at us and smirked as we tumbled in.

"Barely on time, as always."

"Oh, stop," I scoffed, taking off my coat and placing it on the coat hanger. "This is the only time you've ever been early."

I sighed in pleasure as I felt the heat that filled the restaurant. If we didn't have a heater and AC in here, I don't know what I'd do, especially since our uniforms were a tucked in short sleeve shirt and a skirt.

Caitlyn and I headed toward the bathroom to change.

"Remember last week when Hunter got beyond drunk and bought 200 dollars worth of alcohol and rented practically every movie that ever exists on iTunes?" Caitlyn reminded me, pulling on her skirt.

"Yeah, and he drove to Taco Bell and asked for cinnamon rolls _inside _his taco?" I wrinkled my nose and winced at the thought, disgusted.

"Well, tonight we're gonna go over and help him get rid of that alcohol and watch the movies with his dumb ass," Caitlyn informed me, tying her apron behind her back.

"Translation: we're going to get really smashed, laugh at _Titanic, _and throw donuts at the TV?"

"Yep," Caitlyn confirmed, slipping into her heels and checking her hair in the mirror.

Hunter was six years older than us and was Caitlyn's legal guardian since she was fifteen. He lived a few blocks down from us and we were constantly at each other's apartments, as he was one of our best friends. He worked on Wall Street, which we constantly made fun of him for since he was not the Wall Street type _at all_, which is made obvious by his drunken antics from last week.

"You know, this whole running into Brown thing makes me think of 'Vienna'." I said absentmindedly.

"Brown makes you think of Austria?" Caitlyn smirked. "MItchie, he's Australian, not Austrian. There's a difference."

I snorted. "I know that. I'm talking about the Billy Joel song that my dad always plays," I explained. "You know, the metaphor. How it symbolizes the crossroads and how no matter how many obstacles you go through, you shouldn't worry because your fate and dreams will always wait for you. You shouldn't rush through things, because everything that happens is leading you to where you're meant to be."

Caitlyn smiled and quoted the song, "'Vienna waits for you'. Deep."

"Exactly," I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. "I don't know, this feels like it's meant to be, that us seeing him is going to open a bunch of doors, you know what I mean?"

"Well, your gut is almost always right," Caitlyn shrugged. "Who knows?"

On our way out of the bathroom, we almost ran into my mom.

"Well, well, look who's on time." My mom joked.

I opened my mouth to retort but she shoved pots and pans into my arms before I could respond.

"Go get ready for opening, you two," my mom instructed. "And you've worked here for long time, I would assume you would know how to fold napkins correctly." She raised her eyebrows at Caitlyn.

"Connie, I woke up like this. Flawed," Caitlyn responded, quoting one of my favorite Beyonce songs, tweaking the lyrics and making my mom grin.

"For six years?" My mom raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone has their faults," Caitlyn dismissed.

My mom laughed at pushed us toward the kitchen. "Get in there. You know Frank comes right when we open and immediately demands his heap of eggs."

Karlie was cleaning the plates as we walked in and looked up at us. "Hey, what are we doing tonight?" She asked.

"Going over to Hunter's," Caitlyn informed her, grabbing a towel and drying the dishes as Karlie handed them to her.

"Cool," Karlie responded. She snapped her head up and gave me a shimmering smile. "Guess who met an insanely cute boy today?"

I grinned as I organized the pots. "Lemme guess . . . Natty?" I joked, referring to the spunky seventy-year-old woman who was a regular at the restaurant.

"You just know she gets mad dick," Caitlyn added, playing along.

Karlie huffed, a smile playing on her lips nonetheless. "No, me you idiots! But I have to agree with the whole Natty concept. There is no way that woman is pure."

Caitlyn and I laughed. "So," I said. "How long until you sleep with him? 48 hours?"

Karlie shot me a playful and joking glare as I referenced her active sex life. "Unfortunately I didn't even get his name," she sighed dramatically, causing Caitlyn and I to smirk at each other.

"How'd you meet him?" I asked.

"On the subway," Karlie responded, a dreamy look in her eyes. Karlie often engaged in one-night stands and hooked up with numerous guys that she never intended on speaking to again after sex, not ever getting into committed relationships. There was nothing wrong with that, it was what she preferred, but it was pretty funny since she was such a hopeless romantic, even though she never got attached to any of the guys she was with.

"How adorable," Caitlyn deadpanned. "Please tell me he wasn't one of those annoying subway performers who do pathetic raps and then ask for change."

"No, he was sitting down and the subway jolted, making me fall into his lap," she said proudly. "Thank you, shitty A train," she praised, looking up to the ceiling as if sending thanks and I giggled while Caitlyn smiled.

"He and I got to talking and he was so sweet," Karlie gushed. "He's a musician and just moved here."

"If he was so wonderful, why didn't you get his number?" Caitlyn inquired curiously.

"Because he was great," Karlie answered, creastfallen. "And that would never work."

Caitlyn and I exchanged sad looks. It was no secret that Karlie liked to keep her distance from men. I understood, but at the same time it made me depressed that Karlie didn't think she was worthy of a relationship with a genuinely nice guy. She was the kindest and most generous person I had ever met and deserved the world.

The moment passed, interrupted by my mom's joyful laughter as she unlocked the door. Frank, a hilarious man in his fifties, raised his arms at us with a grin that caused happiness to radiate throughout the room.

"I'm ready for my daily feast!" He called to the three of us and we laughed, our busy day only just beginning.

The next night after closing we were all hurriedly bustling around, scrubbing and cleaning. My mom was freaking out, wanting the restaurant to be in tip-top shape for Brown and his guests. Karlie was especially anxious since she knew how important Brown was to all of us and wanted to impress him. We assured her he would love her, but Karlie, being Karlie, was still freaking out.

Not long after we had finished cleaning up the restaurant, there was a firm knock on the door. I grinned in excitement, my stomach bubbling up with joy. I saw Brown through the door and hurriedly unlocked it and was met with his infectious grin.

"Darling," he greeted me. "How are you on this fine day?"

"Wonderful," I giggled. "Come in!"

Brown entered the restaurant and turned to me, a mischevious smirk on his face. "Mitchie, I want to introduce you to one of my family members and a couple of friends."

I turned to look at the people behind him who had just followed him through the door, and I froze.

My whole body hummed. I felt like I was in overdrive and a tickling clawing appeared in the inside of my stomach. My heart pumped and I suddenly felt much too warm.

I knew those brown eyes. They were always in the back of my mind, giving me comfort when I felt like collapsing or giving up. They were filled with memories of summer breezes, crackled leaves, and a glimmering lake. Whenever I remembered those soft strands of hair, my veins turned into guitar strings and strummed a beautiful tune. Bright lights, a burst of courage, and loud cheers filled my body.

"Shane," I breathed.

"Mitchie?" He said, just as shocked as I was. Apparently Brown hadn't told his nephew it was _me _he ran into, the sneaky man.

A gorgeous and breathtaking smile spread across his face, giving me goosebumps and causing me to adjust my sweater nervously. "I can't believe it's really you!"

A fluttering feeling entered my chest at his happiness to see me. I laughed shakily, grinning so hard I thought my face could tear, but I could barely feel it due to all the other emotions that were swirling inside me. "Yeah," I confirmed. "I haven't seen or talked to you since –"

"The summer at Camp Rock," he finished my sentence. "Yeah, I remember."

_He remembered._

I shouldn't be feeling this way. I should _not. _I hadn't seen him in years and we didn't keep in touch after that summer. Nothing had happened between us, it wasn't as if we were together at a point, I should _not _be feeling like this, I shouldn't, I shouldn't –

And then he pulled me into a hug and time stopped.

He was warm and smelled like soap and old books and _boy. _Involuntarily I melted in his arms and snuggled my nose into his neck, my cheeks flushed at the contact. That was way too intimate of me. Oh, God. I hate myself, I'm so dumb, what the hell is wrong with me, he hasn't seen me in years, why am I being so vulnerable for him?

But he hugged me back with fervor and all the thoughts disappeared from my mind. I don't know how long we stood there, but it wasn't long enough. I heard someone clear their throat from behind him and I blushed profusely, embarrassed, and pulled away from him, immediately missing the sweet contact of his toned body.

A boy with black curly hair had an eyebrow raised, the his side of his mouth giving a minuscule twitch upward. Beside him was a boy with bright eyes and a cheerful smile that immediately warmed my heart. I knew who they both were, I had seen them on television screens and posters.

I swallowed, still embarrassed. "Hi," my voice betraying me and catching slightly. I cursed myself in my head.

"Hi!" the second boy chirped. "I'm Jason."

I grinned at him. "It's nice to meet you, Jason. I'm Mitchie."

"Oh, I know who you are. Shane talks about you," he said innocently, that infectious smile still gracing his features.

I saw Shane send him a glare while the boy with the curly hair snorted with laughter. I bit my lip nervously. What? What did he say about me? I suddenly felt very self-conscious, causing my fingers to twitch.

I tried to not seem fazed as I peered over my shoulder at Shane. "Oh really," I gave him a playful smirk, hoping I didn't sound as foolish as I felt. "What does he say?"

Shane scratched the back of his neck nervously and pink colored his cheeks. "I just mention how you were one of my students in my dance class. Nothing really."

"Oh," I swallowed, embarrassed. Of course I wasn't important. Not that I blamed him.

I turned back to the two boys, who were giving Shane disbelieving looks. The curly haired boy shook his head in what seemed like exasperation and then met my eyes, sticking out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Nate," he greeted.

I smiled at him and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he responded, sticking his hands in his pockets.

I cleared my throat, feeling immensely uncomfortable and hoping it didn't show. Thankfully my mom appeared, breaking up the moment.

"Benjamin!" My mom grinned, pulling him into a hug.

I raised my eyebrow and muttered to Shane, "Your uncle's name is Benjamin? Benjamin Brown?"

"Yeah, my grandparents didn't really think that one through," he smirked, looking into my eyes. His brown eyes were full of warmth and comfort, and I couldn't help but grin at his gaze as my mom chattered to Brown.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by a loud clattering which sounded like pots, pans, plates, and who knows what else crashing in the kitchen. My mom turned to me, exasperated.

"Mitchie, can you go check on Karlie and Caitlyn, I –"

"I got it," I said, rolling my eyes at my friends' antics. I reluctantly left Shane's side, heading toward the kitchen and entering the back room, only to be greeted with the sight of kitchenware spread across the room and Caitlyn and Karlie were crouched on the floor, hurriedly picking everything up. They both looked up at me guiltily.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"I slipped on the ladder!" Karlie insisted.

I shook my head. Caitlyn began stacking stacking plates. "Is Brown here yet?"

I swallowed and studied the pots strewn across the ground, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah."

Caitlyn stopped her movements, giving me a suspicious and questioning look. "What's wrong?"

"Shane's here," I whispered.

"What?!" Karlie and Caitlyn responded in unison, both freezing, shocked. I nodded.

"Shane, Shane?" Karlie clarified. "Shane, the pop star from your summer at Camp Rock?"

I nodded in confirmation again.

"What did he say?" Caitlyn asked.

"He was surprised to see me too, I guess Brown didn't tell him that I was the one he ran into," I explained. "I don't know, he said hi, we hugged, and I introduced myself to his bandmates."

"How do you feel?" Caitlyn asked me.

I swallowed, my stomach in knots. "I don't know," I confessed. "It's . . . it's just weird. I haven't seen him in so long and when I met him that summer I couldn't figure out how I felt about him then. It's confusing."

"Do you feel uncomfortable?" Karlie inquired.

"No," I said. "No, not really. I just feel confused, that's all." I took a deep breath. "I shouldn't be, I mean, it's not like anything happened between us that summer or that we have a history or anything. I think I'm just in shock," I said. Caitlyn and Karlie shared a look that I couldn't quite register, but I brushed it off, leaning down and helping them collect the rest of the mess.

We exited the kitchen to be greeted by the sight of Brown, Shane, Nate, and Jason happily talking with my mom. I felt Karlie freeze beside me and I turned to her, concerned.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"That's the boy I met on the subway," Karlie whispered to me and Caitlyn.

"Which one?" Caitlyn asked, bewildered. "The dude with the curly hair?"

"No, the other one," Karlie responded.

"Karlie, how did you not recognize him?" I asked. "That's Jason Hawthorne. He was in Connect Three with Shane and Nate, they were pretty famous before they retired a few years ago."

"I don't know!" Karlie responded anxiously. "I never really listened to their music or was interested in celebrity news, and they retired so long ago I guess I forgot about them!"

"Well, we don't follow celebrity news either, but they were pretty big," Caitlyn responded, and I nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Karlie said, panicked. "What is he doing here? I thought I wouldn't see him again!"

"Shane is Brown's nephew," I answered. "Nate and Jason are Shane's best friends."

"You said that Jason told you he just moved here, he must be living with Shane and Nate," Caitlyn guessed. My stomach tightened. Shane had moved to the city?

I shook the thought from my head. I didn't know that. Maybe Jason had decided to move here by himself. Somehow hope and distress filled my stomach at the thought of Shane living near me.

Brown spotted us and grinned, and we walked over to him. "This must be Karlie," he assumed, and Karlie nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face, although I knew she was tense due to Jason's presence. I glanced at him and saw he was looking at her with wide eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you," she said, friendly, shaking his hands.

"All good things, I hope." Brown winked. He turned and gestured to the guys. "This is my nephew Shane, and his friends Nate and Jason."

Karlie nodded at Nate and Shane, who returned the gesture, and she gave Jason a tight-lipped smile. He simply blinked at her.

"Sit down, sit down!" My mom insisted at Brown and the three guys, breaking the awkwardness. "Tell us what you want, we'll make you anything."

The four of them slid into a booth. "Actually, we already ate," Brown informed us. "I didn't want you to go through the trouble."

"Brown!" I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "We told you we'd cook for you, we wanted to." Brown gave us a sheepish smile. "At least let us get you something to drink," I offered. "Is coffee okay?"

They all nodded and we left to fetch them their beverages, leaving my mom with them. Once inside the kitchen, Karlie fumbled with the mugs.

"Karlie, calm down," I said. "Nothing really happened between you two, so there's no real reason to be nervous, right?"

"Nothing happened between you and Shane, and you're nervous!" Karlie squeaked in defense.

"I am not –"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, pouring coffee into the mugs. "Please, you're both wrecks."

Karlie and I turned to her, our eyes wide with worry. "Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Only to me because I knew you two so well," Caitlyn shrugged. "Besides, the two of them can't stop staring at you."

I opened my mouth to deny her statement because there was no possible way that Shane would be staring at me anyway. Jason was being painfully obvious, however. Caitlyn gave me a look that silenced me.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go, you two just need to relax," she assured us, leading us back out to the booth where they were sitting, coffee cups in hand.

I slid into the booth and turned my eyes to Shane. "So, what brings you guys to New York?"

"The record company we work for relocated us here a couple days ago," Shane answered. My pulse jumped at the sound of his voice. God, I'm pathetic.

"Oh, you guys still make music? I thought you retired?" I said.

"Not completely," Nate replied. "We mostly just write songs for other artists. We'll write our own songs occasionally and save them just for us in case we feel like making an album in the future again, but we won't tour."

"They visit me at the camp every summer, though," Brown beamed. "They teach classes and such."

So Shane had moved to New York. Great.

It's not that I didn't want him here. I did . . . kind of. I don't know. After the summer at Camp Rock, Shane was always in the back of my mind somewhere. After all, I never would have truly broke out of my shell and gained confidence without him. It was just that my life had finally gained stability. After years and years of pain and tragedy I was actually happy and content. I certainly wasn't prepared for this. My feelings were all jumbled up and I had only been around Shane for about ten minutes.

My mom jumped in and began talking to the boys, asking them questions about what they've been up to and such, which I was grateful for, because my mind was already going in overdrive thinking about Shane staying in New York. Would my life stay the same, or would he begin to become a part of it? Somehow both concepts scared and excited me.

"I'm starving," Caitlyn muttered to Karlie and I, and we both giggled.

"When are you not hungry?" I teased her.

"Yeah, Caitlyn, you literally ate two hours ago," Karlie added.

"I know! Two whole hours!" Caitlyn said dramatically. "Listen, it's not my fault I have a fast metabolism. As soon as we get to Hunter's I'm shoving the leftover pasta we had last night in the microwave."

"Watch out, Mitchie's going to complain when you do that," Karlie grinned at me. I gaped at her.

"Excuse me! I do _not _complain about Hunter's microwave," I insisted.

"Please," Caitlyn rebuffed. "When we were watching his apartment while he was gone you wouldn't shut up about it, you were being such a brat."

"I was not!" I retorted. "You were just mad that day because Hunter threw out your Tupac poster and that Professor Klein gave you a shitload of calculus homework."

The offended look Caitlyn gave me caused Karlie to bark loudly with laughter, slapping her hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle her giggles. The noise caused the other five to turn to us.

"Connie, your daughter is probably the meanest person I've ever met," Caitlyn said to my mom, a smile threatening to break out on her face at the accusation.

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed, grinning at my best friend.

"Please don't tell me we're talking about the microwave again," my mom said, exasperated, yet a smile had formed on her lips.

"The microwave?" Nate asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Okay, so here's what happened," Caitlyn began, but I cut her off before she could continue.

"You always tell it wrong," I insisted.

"I do not!" Caitlyn retorted. "Also, interrupting is rude."

I turned to the boys and shook my head, Shane giving me a wide grin as he watched Caitlyn and I.

Caitlyn continued her story. "So we're at our friend's apartment, watching it for him while he's on vacation, and I'm trying to do homework, but Mitchie's in the other room complaining her ass off." I rolled my eyes at Caitlyn's dramatics. "Mitchie's trying to heat up some food but she keeps saying 'oh my God, Caitlyn, this microwave smells so bad, it's disgusting, I can't even breathe, this is so annoying –"

I cut her off and turned to the boys. "No, okay, this is what really happened," I said.

"That is what happened!" Caitlyn responded, and I held up my hand.

"So I'm making food and when I open the microwave it smells kind of weird, so all I say is 'the microwave smells a bit strange' and _this one,_" I pointed a finger at Caitlyn. "Goes off on me and starts shouting, 'well why don't you go home and use our own goddamn microwave if you're going to complain about it, stop being so annoying and get over yourself.'"

"That's because you were bitching about it nonstop!" Caitlyn argued.

"I was not!" I retorted.

"This literally happened four years ago and you guys are _still _arguing about it," Karlie shook her head.

"Don't worry," Jason said to her, causing her to blush. "Nate and Shane still accuse each other of cheating at a game of Scrabble they played two years ago."

"There was no way Shane had enough letters to spell 'pterodactyl!'" Nate insisted.

"You are just mad because you always win at Scrabble and that was a 75 point letter word," Shane shot back.

The eight of us had talked and laughed throughout the night for so long, we hadn't realized we had been sitting in the booth for hours until Caitlyn saw the time.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. "We were supposed to be at Hunter's an hour ago."

"And I need to get back to the apartment, my bus leaves tomorrow morning," Brown added.

"Your bus leaves tomorrow?" I asked, wide eyed. He was already leaving?

"Yeah, I've been here for a week and I need to get back to Camp Rock," Brown answered. He stood up from the booth and we all followed his lead. "But it was wonderful seeing all of you! Visit me anytime."

We all hugged him and said our goodbyes, walking him and the three boys to the door. Jason and Karlie were chatting happily, large smiles on both their faces. Before they all left, Shane turned to me.

"Hey, um, here's my number," Shane said, his voice wavering, handing me a card. I blinked down at it like it was a foreign object. "You know, in case you ever want to hang out or something."

I looked up at him and grinned. "Well, how could I say no to that?"

Shane beamed at me and I felt like soaring. Once they all exited the restaurant I locked the door and turned around to Caitlyn and Karlie, who were giving me amused looks. I breathed out a huff of air.

"Let's go," I begged. "I need alcohol."


End file.
